Peter HappelChristian was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His work investigates social realtionships with the natural world through the intersection of photography, sculpture, performance and collaboration. He earned a BFA from the University of Iowa in 1999 and an MFA from the University of Oregon in 2003. Peter has exhibited his work throughout the United States and it is included in the permanent collections of the Tucson Museum of Art and the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ.

He has given lectures about his work at Memphis College of Art, University of Iowa, Portland State University, Columbia College Chicago, West Virigina University, Rochester Institute of Technology, the Southeastern College Art Conference and the Society for Photographic Education regional and national conferences. Recent exhibitions and screenings include venues such as the John R. Grady Gallery of Photographic Art, Elgin Community College (Elgin, IL), Autzen Gallery, Portland State University (Portland, OR), The Hunter Museum of American Art (Chattanooga, TN), The Medicine Factory (Memphis, TN), Art Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi), Asterisk Gallery (Cleveland, OH), CEPA Gallery (Buffalo, NY) and Humble Arts Foundation (New York, NY). In 2008 he received an Individual Artist Award from the Ohio Arts Councill for Interdisciplinary/Performance Art.

He has taught photography and visual arts courses at the University of Oregon, Central Arizona College, Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ, Tucson Museum of Art School, the University of Arizona and Youngstown State University in Ohio. Peter HappelChristian currently serves as Assistant Professor of Art in Photography and Integrated Media at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.